Warren County's
top 10 earners in 2013 came from the prosecutor's office, the jail, the
sheriff's department and the county administration.

Thirty-six county employees last year earned more than
$100,000 and another 21 employees earned more than $90,000, according to
records obtained by The Express-Times through a public records request.

The county employed 897 part- and full-time employees in
2013. County fiscal analyst Dan Olshefksi said that figure includes turnover in
staff, as it's higher than the number of authorized county positions.

Prosecutor Richard Burke was the county's top earner at
$164,367 and corrections officer William Boger took home the second-highest amount
at $145,298, according to the records. Boger's salary was inflated last year
by a $61,000 lump sum payment that settled a yearsold grievance filed about
two years ago, according to Olshefksi.

The list of employees earning more than $100,000 includes 14
investigators in the prosecutor's office and four corrections officers at the
county jail.

Included among the 21 employees who earned more than $90,000
last year were six corrections officers and two more investigators, one of whom
earned $99,285. You can find the complete list of county employees and their salaries at lehighvalleylive.com/news.

The prosecutor's office and county jail are among the handful
of departments in which employees are eligible for overtime. In 2013, the
county spent $99,659 in overtime in the prosecutor's office and $111,324 at the
jail, according to Olshefksi.

The county's preliminary budget includes about $104,000 for
overtime in the prosecutor's office and about $111,000 at the jail.

Olshefski said the two overtime budgets have traditionally
not gone over budget, and that overtime is a necessity for 24/7 operations like
the jail, he said.

If an inmate, for instance, must be transferred for medical
treatment, a corrections officer must accompany the inmate until he returns to
the jail, Olshefski said.

"There are some costs over there that you don't really have
control over," he said, adding that Gallant, the sheriff, has been working the past few years to rein in overtime costs.

Cut overtime hours

In 2011, the county jail was placed under the sheriff's
command. Gallant said the jail houses 150 to 180 inmates at a time, although
for security reasons, he declined to indicate how many corrections officers are
on duty during a regular eight-hour shift.

Although he could not provide examples of how his department
has culled the county's overtime costs, the sheriff credited his staff for
keeping a close eye on overtime use. Gallant said his department has trimmed
more than 2,300 hours of overtime at the jail since mid-2011 through the end of
last year, adding the sheriff's department also cut about 300 hours last year.

Overtime is an inevitable expense with a facility that must
be manned around the clock, and some corrections officers are willing to pick up
the extra hours, Gallant said.

"Some people like to work," he said. "Some put in their 40
hours, and others are aggressive in picking up the overtime shifts that become
available."

Olshefski said the county receives $96,200 annually from the
state to cover part of the salaries for the prosecutor and the
constitutional officers -- the clerk, surrogate and sheriff.

A review of salary records, however, shows the state funding
doesn't even cover a quarter of the $509,411 the clerk ($111,018), the
surrogate ($110,018), the sheriff ($124,018) and prosecutor earned in 2013.

Necessary functions

Freeholder Director Ed Smith said the county is required to
maintain facilities like a jail and prosecutor's office and positions such as
the surrogate and clerk, whose salaries are dictated by state statute.

"To be honest with you, we are virtually powerless there," he
said.

In the case of the jail, it's a difficult call between
budgeting $111,000 for overtime compared to the annual benefit package and
pension costs for additional personnel, Smith said.

Freeholders also need to strike a balance for operations like
the prosecutor's office, where many salaries are determined through union
contracts, Smith said. Freeholders cut two new investigator positions requested
for this year, but officials need to make sure the office is adequately staffed
to provide the necessary services to local police departments, he said.

There are several administrative and supervisory positions
held by employees that have earned modest salary increases over the years, but
have tremendous seniority. The trade-off has been continuity over the years and
experience that Smith said he has found invaluable.

As more senior employees leave the county, officials will see
some savings as staff members with less seniority move into those spots, Smith said.
One example is now-retired Personnel Director Jerry Coyle, who earned $127,865
last year.